Tricks of the Trade: Design your Booth for Maximum Impact

The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has never been so intense. Budget cutbacks in the travel sector means that buyers spend less time than ever at shows. To make the most of their time, they pre-plan their agendas and do their best to stick to them. The rules of the game are forever changed.

Since so many buyers are on a tight schedule ? frequently, they're only at the show for a day ? they're no longer there to window shop or go bargain hunting. The good news is that they're there to "buy" ? the bad news is that if you're not on their A-list, you may not get the chance to pitch them. But a well-designed tradeshow booth can change their minds ? with the right presentation, you can make sure they "see" you, whether they planned to or not.

Think Outside the Booth

When designing your booth it's important to think about the impression you make from a distance. Focus on distance viewing first, keeping in mind that at an actual tradeshow, there will lots of distractions between your potential customer and your display. Make sure your lettering is big enough to read from a distance and place it the upper half of your display that people standing in front of the booth won't block it! Pay special attention to lighting and color as these two features contribute significantly to the overall image you convey.

What's Your Sign?

Nothing is more important than your signage and there are several key elements you should to incorporate it into your design. First, your sign's lettering must be distinguishable from its surroundings. Make sure your text is large enough to be read from a distance and place it over a plain background ? a textured background can add interest, but it interferes with readability. It's not a good tradeoff.

If space is an issue and you don't have room for lettering as large as you'd like, use light-colored letters against a dark background. The contrast will make the lettering appear larger and viewers will find it easier to read. Adding a border helps focus attention and helps the viewer read it faster.

Use an accent color to present the information you want your customer to retain. Studies show that the use of a second color for key words increases the reader's retention of that information by a whopping 78%. That's a huge advantage in your fight to catch the buyer's eye.

What's your story?

Storyboards have always been an effective tool for conveying the most information in the least amount of time. The tradeshow version of this depicts 10 to 15 photographs of people using your product or service. This is an incredibly powerful way of conveying your message, even if your booth is unattended. The photos give your product a credibility that mere words wouldn't and ideally, will prompt anyone looking at them to seek out a salesperson to find out more. When selecting the photos to use, be cognizant of the message you want to convey and choose wisely - the average viewing time of the entire wall will be around two minutes.

As with anything, a little preparation goes a long way, and this is especially true when it comes to trade shows. But a little "sleight of hand" never hurts either. Take advantage of the tricks of the trade to convey your message, and you'll be well on your way to a stand out show.

Patty Stripes is an editor for The Trade Show Both, an online resource where she has posted various articles about improving your trade show booth performance and getting creative with trade show displays.

____________________

Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!

Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!

Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!

Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!

Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!

In The News:

---

Merkle Inc., the Limited to team on database marketing
Bizjournals.com, NC - 5 hours ago
Database marketing firm Merkle Inc. has signed up the Limited as a new client in a three-year contract. The Columbia firm will analyze customer data to help ...
Merkle Selected by The Limited to Support Integrated Customer ... MarketWatch (press release)
all 16 news articles

Reuters
FedEx trims '09 marketing budget by 25%
Bizjournals.com, NC - 9 hours ago
United Parcel Service Inc. rival FedEx Corp. will cut its marketing budget by more than 25 percent for 2009, the company recently disclosed on its blog. ...
FedEx cuts marketing spend by more than 25 percent Reuters
FedEx to reduce marketing budgets by 25% Brand Republic
all 79 news articles

Bouvier Kelly wins health marketing awards The Business Journal of ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 9 hours ago
Downtown Greensboro marketing firm Bouvier Kelly has won three awards from the Carolina Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society for its work with ...

University of Florida's marketing savvy and athletic prowess have ...
Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - 7 hours ago
By Sarah Talalay | South Florida Sun-Sentinel University of Florida fan Michelle Jackson has her outfit for college football's national championship game ...
BCS is a political football in 2009 CNN
The Wrong BCS Fix ESPN
all 2,945 news articles

Hawaii marketing to put Korea on hold
Bizjournals.com, NC - 23 hours ago
But the HTA will wait until at least late January to spend another $607000 on marketing to South Korea, as well as spending an additional $238000 for ...
Tourism agency holds back funds for Korea marketing Honolulu Star-Bulletin
all 9 news articles

Proton Laboratories Announces New Sales & Marketing Office
CNNMoney.com - 10 hours ago
Proton will start by marketing a variety of enhanced water products that provide health benefits for people and the planet as well as the commercial product ...

Ace Marketing & Promotions Inc. Takes Proximity Marketing(SM) to ...
CNNMoney.com - 9 hours ago
Ace Marketing & Promotions Inc. (OTCBB: AMKT) announces that IMAX Theaters is piloting Proximity Marketing at its Palisades theater location in NY, ...

Summit Realty Group marketing Dow property along 106th Street
Indianapolis Star, United States - 6 hours ago
With a team of 25 brokers and additional market research, marketing, and client support staff, Summit Realty Group specializes in office, industrial, ...

Katz Launches Katz Marketing Solutions
Streaming Magazine, FL - 2 hours ago
NEW YORK -- January 8, 2009: Katz Media Group has launched a new national marketing unit, Katz Marketing Solutions, to create custom solutions that "exploit ...
Katz Media Group Reorgs to Trim Costs MEDIAWEEK
Katz Media Group Launches National Marketing Unit to Exploit the ... Earthtimes (press release)
Clear Channel Overhauls Katz Media Group AdAge.com
MediaPost Publicationsall 19 news articles

Tivo CEO says stepping up marketing partnerships
Reuters - Jan 7, 2009
O) plans to establish more marketing relationships with entertainment producers and retailers such as Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) in the current quarter and ...

marketing - Google News

Writing Marketing Copy That Sells

When your prospects see your marketing materials, your brochure, your web site or your ads you want them to read them. You want prospects to read not... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: 3 More Secrets I Wish I Knew When I First Started Out

Secret #4 - Get very comfortable asking for paymentOne of the easiest ways to set this up is to have very clear explanations in your intake forms... Read More

Increase Your Sales By Following-Up

The difference between a successful business and one that just gets by is that the business that is just getting by thinks that the marketing is over... Read More

Marketing Through Associations

©2004 Jeffrey DobkinIf you're in direct marketing, you're continually looking for new list sources - everybody's tired of mailing to the same lists. If you're not in... Read More

The Illusion of Print Mail Services

If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits in mail order it hasto be the concept of letting someone else do all the work foryou.... Read More

How to Turn More Referrals Into Paying Clients

60% of all small business owners, sales and solo-professionals claim that more than half of their new business comes from referrals. Yet when asked about the process... Read More

Uncover Your Hidden Markets

Want a simple, low-cost way to boost your sales? Just uncover the narrowly defined sub-markets hidden in your main market. Then create special versions of your advertising... Read More

The Secret to 100% Success With Your Marketing

There's a secret to marketing, which is so simple, yet so effective once you learn it and apply it, you'll be amazed at the great results you... Read More

A Point in Every Direction is the Same As No Point At All

Ever try to be something for everyone and find no one wants it? Do you have trouble finding the time to focus on your business? Do you... Read More

Small Business Marketing Tip - Focus on a Niche or Target Market

I think selling and marketing today often feels a bit like talking to a brick wall and that in interesting metaphor to help grasp the importance of... Read More

Terrific Titles, Happenin Headlines

You've probably heard the slogan, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." It may be a sales pitch, but in the world of... Read More

SMS for the Estate Agent - Targeted Marketing Tool, or Legal Minefield?

Imagine having at your disposal a means to immediately inform house buyers that you have just the property they are looking for. Potential buyers have given their... Read More

Four Essential Marketing Plan Components

Preparing a Marketing Plan for your product or service is a real eye-opening experience. While we all hope that our product or service will appeal to the... Read More

Have You Tried Cause Marketing?

To help promote your small business or professional practice, consider tearing a page out of the corporate marketing playbook. For years big companies have partnered with nonprofits... Read More

The Secrets of?

A lot of advertising and mailings promise to reveal the secrets of something. Most of this kind of mailings deal with search engine optimization. They promise to... Read More

You Must Get Going If You Want To Get Growing

For many of service-based businesses out there, it's not that you don't know you should be marketing or don't want to get better at it. It's just... Read More

Timing and the Right Product Will Make Your Dreams Come True

Are you looking to erase your debt, buy that new luxury vehicle, or impress that special person?You can, if the timing is right and you market a... Read More

Are You Playing Checkers or Chess?

When you think about how to attract more clients for your professional services, are you playing checkers or chess?You're playing checkers when you...* Attend a networking event... Read More

Mission Position

Ahh, the mission statement. For some companies it simply describes their purpose for existing. For others it permeates the overall culture of the company. Some see its... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - How to Find Your Niche

Ann Landers, Dr. Phil and Roger Ebert take pleasure in being recognized as leading experts in their respective fields. Because of this status they enjoy greater... Read More

How To Get To The Top of The Marketing Food Chain

Are you tired of living off handouts from big-name marketers, earning meager affiliate commissions?If you truly want to live and breathe the rarefied air of the super-marketers,... Read More

Dont Use Yourself as Your Pricing Yardstick

"I wouldn't pay more than what I charge now."If you are not a member of your target market, toss this thought about your own preferences out the... Read More

The Top 10 Marketing Tools to Grow Your Business in 2004

Looking to grow your business? Make sure you have these marketing tools in place:#10 A powerful taglineIn 10 words or less, a good tagline reinforces a company's... Read More

Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions - Part 2

Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written articles do you submit per week to Online ezines? How often do you send thank you's and... Read More

Using a Marketing Calendar Template

Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are running it alone. Between moving products, taking orders, paying bills, and taking care of family, it is... Read More

A Perfect Partnership for Business

Too often we small business owners get caught up in our day-to-day bottom line, and miss the needs of the community outside our door. By doing this,... Read More